Al Bowlly's Croon Manifesto
Al Bowlly's Croon Manifesto

The Lichfield Festival is urging visitors to roll up the carpet and push back the chairs as Al Bowlly’s Croon Manifesto brings an evening of music, theatre and dance to the city.

The title of the show is inspired by Bowlly’s book Modern Style Singing in which he issues a rallying call to embrace the new media of his day, the microphone. The tender, expressive and intimate vocal style he championed marked a turning point in musical history and brought about an entire change of focus from bandleader to singer.

Arguably the first ever pop star, his life is ripe for revisiting. He had a rock and roll lifestyle before rock was invented, a fiery temper, a penchant for globe-trotting, a rollercoaster career, tried to make it Stateside, and psychosomatically lost his voice. Like so many pop icons he lived fast and died young.

An inspiration to generations of singers and artists, Al Bowlly’s songs have featured in the cult films Amelie, The Shining and Dennis Potter’s seminal Pennies From Heaven. Featuring hits like The Very Thought Of You, My Woman, Untied Artists and The Gramophone Party promise an evening to remember.

The performance is at the Lichfield Garrick Studio from July 8 to 11 – and once you’ve listened to the finer points of the Croon Manifesto, put it to the test on the dance-floor in tea dances at the Guildhall on July 9 and 11.

To book tickets for Al Bowlly’s Croon Manifesto go to www.lichfieldfestival.org.

Founder of Lichfield Live and editor of the site.